Should There Be Streets Named After Pinochet in Chile?
By Andrés Kogan Valderrama
HAVANA TIMES – I watched with great concern the latest Municipal Council meeting in Las Condes, Santiago de Cuba, where right-wing city council member Leonardo Prat revived a 2006 proposal seeking to name a street, plaza, or avenue in the district after the dictator Augusto Pinochet.
While in this context of a far-right resurgence in Chile and around the world, we shouldn’t be surprised by such outrageous proposals that violate basic democratic norms, what worries me more is the silence of Las Condes mayor Catalina San Martín, who didn’t express an opinion during the session.
I bring this up because Catalina San Martín has defined herself as a liberal, moderate, center-right person—something that should politically imply opposition to any form of dictatorship and to those who have defended or justified the horrors committed in Chile during 17 years of military rule (1973-1990).
However, not only did she remain silent during the latest council meeting, but she has also yet to address the issue on her social media platforms, which is deeply concerning for a mayor who claims to stand apart from the more fanatical sectors of the right—those with no real interest in defending human rights.
For this reason, I believe it is her duty, given her role as mayor, to speak out and take a position on this proposal to rename a street, plaza, or avenue. If she remains silent, she will end up endorsing a form of denialism that is deeply harmful to our society and to us as residents of Las Condes.
It’s also important to remember that many people who voted for Catalina San Martín did so because she stood in contrast to candidate Marcela Cubillos Sigall, a historic Pinochet supporter who has never expressed even the slightest regret or change of opinion regarding her support for state terrorism and her admiration for Pinochet.
Unless Catalina San Martín wishes to imply that the only real difference between herself and Marcela Cubillos lies in her non-aggressive style, politeness, and commitment to integrity and transparency in local government—which would be disappointing—it would mean she has no real commitment to peace or human rights in Chile.
That said, I hope Catalina San Martín will speak out and take a stand against this initiative proposed by a right-wing council member who shows no sense or empathy, for the sake of democratic coexistence in Las Condes and in Chile. By doing so, she would be rejecting the idea of honoring a criminal and thief like Pinochet.
Moreover, no one is asking Catalina San Martín to become a leftist or to shift to a progressive discourse. Only that she draw a line separating herself from the pro-Pinochet right—just as Sebastian Piñera and Joaquín Lavin once did.
Finally, I want to point out that when Catalina San Martín was elected mayor of Las Condes, although I didn’t vote for her, I was glad she defeated Marcela Cubillos. I believed she could represent a more democratic right-wing in my district. I truly hope I won’t be disappointed on something as vital as the defense of human rights.